Zakeeya Patel

Based: Johannesburg

Zakeeya Patel is a South African actress best known for her television roles as Amita Khan on the M-Net soap opera The Wild and as Dhananjay Patel on the SABC3 drama series High Rollers.
Patel was introduced to South African audiences as Aisha, Cassim’s younger sister in the 2012 feature film Material, inspired by Riaad Moosa.
Other films she has acted include Closing Act (directed by Layla Swart) and Painting Water (directed by Kyle Davy).
Zakeeya has appeared in a number of theatre productions as well including Locked, The Colonel Bird and The Black and White (Arena Theatre); Othello at the Baxter Theatre; A Style of the Eye at The Playroom; Vessel at the Rehearsal Studio; Qaphela Caesar at Hiddingh Hall; Wintertime at the Roofers Theatre; and Click-x-cess and Suitcase Stories at the Grahamstown Festival.
She was also a finalist in the Eastern Mosaic presenter search in 2012.
In 2013 she was the winner of the sixth season of the SABC3 reality competition Strictly Come Dancing, partnered by professional dancer Ryan Hammond. She also had a recurring role on the SABC1 political thriller series End Game.